Dear Editor
The Prime Time programme on fire safety and hazards (May 22) makes
for sombre viewing. Fire service members and consultants expressed
deep concern and discomfort about the practice of assessing fire risks
from paper plans.

Recently there was a fire at a scrap metal facility
in Ringaskiddy (a not unusual occurrence). When Indaver’s proposed
toxic waste incinerator is built it will surround and enclose this
facility. What then when another similar fire occurs? For the public
who are aware of the dangers, this scenario instills both fear and
incredulity.

When the chief planning officer of An Bord Pleanna,
after an oral hearing, warned of his concerns, he was ignored and
overruled. When the EPA inspector who presided over a second oral
hearing was made aware of the situation, he chose to ignore this serious
fire risk (along with many other risks).

After a recent traffic accident near Ringaskiddy,
when more than 100 gallons of sulphuric acid spilt onto the public
road, a retired fire-fighter stated that: “This is something
we have been predicting and talking about for years and years but
nobody is listening to us.”

Well nobody is listening to the non-government
organisations who are speaking out for public safety and the environment
either. And to make matters even worse, hazardous installations are
to be fast tracked under the provisions of the new infrastructure
bill, which will be voted on in the dail next month. This bill is
not only crude and blunt, but also reckless.